You can judge a roaster from the bag before you taste anything.
What a good bag tells you
A roast date. Not a best-before date — the day it was roasted. Its absence is the single most informative thing about a bag.
A specific origin. A farm, a co-operative or a washing station beats a region, which beats a country, which beats “Colombian blend”.
A variety. Bourbon, Caturra, SL28 — a roaster who knows this bought carefully.
A processing method. Washed, natural, honey, anaerobic.
An altitude. Correlates with density and quality.
A bag carrying four or five of those is from someone who bought coffee with intent. A bag saying “premium blend, best before 2028” is not.
Roast level
Most specialty roasters roast lighter than supermarket coffee. If you like dark, oily beans, say so — plenty of excellent roasters do darker profiles and it is worth asking rather than assuming.
Practical signals
Small bags. A roaster selling 250 g expects you to drink it fresh. One selling only kilos does not.
Frequent rotation. Seasonal offerings mean they buy per harvest.
They will talk to you. Email a roaster and ask what suits an AeroPress. The good ones answer properly.
Start local
Freshness is the whole game, and local means fewer days in transit.
Last reviewed 8 August 2026